Midnight Run
by Andi-reed
Summary: Tiffa, Cloud, Cid and Yuffie try to protect their young with the help of a dead Barret and Aeries against Sephiroth. R/R, and please, its not very good, but no flames


Tiffa sat up and smelled the sweet air.   
  
"Man, its good to be back" She said soon after.  
  
Cloud stepped off the bus, yawned, and streched his arms wide. His hair, flattened out from days without gel, waved in the cool winter breeze. 2 kids, wraped up in several heavy coats, wobbled out of the buss after their father. One, the smaller one, hit her knee. She hadn't fallen, but was scooping up snow, and compacting in her bare hand. Cloud bent over to help his daughter, but instead, got a face full of white snow.  
  
That started the snow war. Tiffa took the oldest, their son, and they made a hideout, just arround the hill. Cloud and his daughter were too wraped up in there mass snow war to pay any attention to the rest of the family. Tiffa and her son made a snow-man around the hill, then debated over a name.  
  
Sephiroth sat up on the rector tower, focucing on the dots of his foes. "The battle may be won, but the war just began" he thought." Such a happy family, to much to loose. Yet to happy...."; He was cut off by a growling sound.   
  
"You leave them alone, you loveless fool" Said a red tiger. Sephiroth pulled out his sword just in time to be knocked off the tower, into the snowey slums. The creature then climed the raftors of the slums, then jumping from roof to roof. Soon, the creature had hit the cold surface, and ran toward Cloud.   
  
"You've got to go..." He wispered into the happy fathers ear"....He's here" The smile washed from Clouds face. His daughter, a second from slinging a ball of snow, looked up and her smile dissapeared from her face too.   
  
"Tiffa!!" Cloud called. "He's back!!!!!!!" he yelled when he saw her face, worridley  
  
By the sound of his voice, she also brought the child. She saw his face, as well as red's. Cloud was at a kneel. She got next to him, and crouched down next to him. His chin touched his chest; Tiffa lifted it to eye level, and wispered faintly"Whats going on?"  
  
Before Cloud could reply, Red started. Tiffa gasped, and looked where RedXII pointed. Sephiroth lay there, half awake, half dead. She gathered the childern, and walked off, over the hill. A tear rolled down Clouds cheek. He finaly pulled him self together, and grasped the sword handle, by his right ear. Both he and RedXII neared the fallen deamon. He lay flat, behind a mailbox. Cloud slowly pulled the sword out of the case. "Your mine" He thought. RedXII poked Sephiroth, several times. He didn't budge. Cloud calmed, and put his sword away, and walked toward his wife and kids.   
  
Yuffie and Cid were walking an infant in a carrage. It was wraped heavily in a blue blanket. Vincent, showing up from pure nowhere, appeared in front of them. He walked around the cart, smiled at the baby and wispered  
  
"He's back." He didn't need to use a name, the family already knew. Vincent continued, "Red saw him, in the city. Would have gotten Clouds two if Red wouldn't have knocked him off the rector tower". Yuffie gasped, and looked at her own child, then back at Vincent.  
  
"I thought he was ....." Cid tried to stard, but never finished. Just as Vincent had came, he left.   
  
"Mommy read me a story" Rain, their daughter, called.  
  
"Ok baby" Tifa replyed  
  
Skye jumped on Clouds lap, looking at the pictures of the book.  
  
"Once apon a time, deep in the forest, there was a mog." tifa read, turnning the page of the picture book.  
  
"But, mog couldn't fly. Mog wanted a friend, but the other mogs wouldn't be his friend, because he couldn't fly."  
  
This time, Rain turned the page.  
  
"So, one day, mog went to the library. He picked out a flying book. It told him wonderful things. But not how to fly."   
  
The page was turned again.  
  
" So, mog gathered all his courage, and got on his house. He jumped and flaped his wings hard. Would he fly?"  
  
"Yes. Yes he would fly. over the trees, and the mountains, and way over the other mog's heads'."   
  
"YAY!" the children cheered, jumping off there seats and running to their room.  
  
Cloud walked after them, to tuck them into their warm beds. Tifa sat there, thinking of how wonderful her family was. Cloud hit the lights, and closed their door. Sadly, he trudged to his own.   
  
Aries looked down at both familys. She sat next to her mother, on a white puffy cloud. She saw both fathers trying to protect their familys, and the wives worring about the children. Skye and Rain were both older that Yuffies infant, but they both played the same role. Barret, also on the same cloud, looked down at Daine's daughter, now 10. Tears rolled down his face. She took gentle care of her new baby sister. He looked at Aries's face, and saw she was worried.   
  
"He's back isn't he?" He asked  
  
"Yes, he's there alright." Aries replyed  
  
"Who's he?" Asked Aries'es mother.   
  
"Sephiroth, mom" Aries replied.  
  
"He died, and is back to get revenge on Cloud and Cids families. I died in that battle, no phoenix down could fix. Thats why I'm here, you see, Koleen" Barret said.  
  
"So he's dead, just un-sent?" Koleen, Aries's mother, asked again.  
  
"Yes, in a way." Aries replied  
  
"He'll leave in peace if he gets revege" Barrent added.   
  
"So, he just about got you too?"Cloud said into the reciever.   
  
"Yeah...." Cids voice transmitted throught the speaker, "Vincent told us about him"  
  
"RedXII told us" Cloud continued.  
  
"Are the kids ok?" Cid asked  
  
"Not a scratch on um, hows yours?"Cloud said  
  
"Ditto"Cid replied  
  
"We have to kill him" Cloud said  
  
"He's already dead"Cid corrected  
  
"Huh?" Cloud asked confused  
  
"He's been dead. He wants revenge" Cid explained  
  
" We have to go. Back to Midel or something. We have to move" Cloud acknowledged.  
  
All he heard was soft cries, then, "Gotta go, Jaks crying." That ended their conversation. Cloud put the phone down, and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door, and grabed an ice cold beer. He poped it open, yanked the pull-tab off, and chuged the drink. In the palm of his hand, he centered the can, and smashed it against his forehead.  
  
"Yes!!" Cait Sith yelled.  
  
Another lonely night at the Gold Saucer. He had lost a magority of his gil. He sighed, and got up. He walked to the shuttle, and passed a bar. RedXII and Vincent were having a round. Cait Sith went ot join them.   
  
"Wuzzup guys?" He asked  
  
"Were drowning our sarows in beer, cant ya tell?" Vincent replied sarcasticly.   
  
"Sephiroths after Skye, Rain, and Baby Jak." RedXII informed his frined.  
  
Cait Sith's mouth hung wide. First of, he thought the nightmare in black was dead, and secondly, trying to harm children.   
  
"They know" Vincent said  
  
"Ok." Cait Sith said, relieved.  
  
Tifa stirred. She just couldn't sleep. Outside her window, the night creatures sang their song; A lone wolf acompanied them this night. The door started to creek. Tifa turned toward it, still half asleep.  
  
"Hey cowboy." She said softly.   
  
Skye wore his dads old cowbow pjs. He had a cheap fake leather hat, and huge cowboy boots, made to fit a boy twice his size. Dragging behind him was an old blue balanket. It was a yellow duckie print, against baby blue. Skye had owned it since birth.   
  
"Mommy, theres a otie" He said sleepily.   
  
"Come over here" Cloud said, now awake.   
  
Cloud got up, and let the small child climb in hext to him. The kitten got up, and moved. Once Skye got settled, Cloud found a spot. The kitten, now upset because that was a great spot, hoped onto the childs lap. Instantly is fell asleep, pleased again. Skye was asleep almost as soon as the kitten was. Cloud, soon after. It was now only Tifa.   
  
"Help us brother" She wispered softly, hoping the gods would let it through to her brother.  
  
Somewhere, up in that clouded place, Tifa's brother did hear.   
  
"Tif....."He cried. "What can I do?"   
  
Tifa heard him in the back of her mind. "Tyler, I need power. For Skye, Rain, Cloud"  
  
Tyler replied, "How can I give that to you. Aw, Tif, I miss ya, but i can't help ya. Im dead."  
  
Tifa answerd, "Find Aries. Find Barret. They'll know what to do!!!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Barret and Aries! My friends. Barrets a bid dude, whos black and has a gun for an arm and......."  
  
"I've seen him! I'll look for him and get back to you on that. Im really not suposed to be talking with you but, you needed me"  
  
"Bye Tyler"  
  
Cloud was having a similar dream. Only, it was him, and Aries, back in the church. He had scars on his face, but proudly held both chidren. Then, everything would go black, and two grey headstones would show, engraved, was Skye and Rain Striffe. He'd open his eyes, and see his son, and go back to sleep. Once he did, he'd see the same nightmare. 


End file.
